State owned petroleum products dealer, Botswana Oil Limited (BOL) continues to make strides in improving participation of citizens in the petroleum sector.
With the 90 percent import mandate, which is set drive transformation in the petroleum industry, BOL has a citizen economic empowerment programme which includes value chain development, entrepreneurship and enterprise development, supplier development and performance management, capacity development and building as well as procurement to stimulate, nurture, support and empower citizen companies to grow into sustainable businesses.
As a result, Botswana Oil has spent more than P345 million on citizen companies contracted for the transportation of petroleum products over the past three years.
During the current financial year of 2024/ 25, Botswana Oil has so far spent close to P100 million with the figure expected to go as far as P300 million by end of 2025 having supported up to 16 citizen transporters with a fleet of 115 trucks.
“It is our plan that in the next 12 to 24 months, the number of trucks owned by citizens would have increased to more than 200 as BOL is in the process of engaging more citizen transporters on long term contracts so that they can increase their capacity,” said Minister of Minerals and Energy Lefoko Moagi during the launch of the 90 percent import mandate in Gaborone last week.
Further, in 2022, BOL entered into a landmark CEEP partnership with Debswana Mining Company which facilitated four citizen transporters to deliver petroleum products to the Jwaneng, Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa mines at the value of P8 billion over a period of five years.
The four transporters being API, Filano, Skybridge and Guildhall successfully completed the Sasol Transporters accreditation process which enables them to uplift petroleum products from Sasol and to deliver to Botswana and any country within the Southern African region. These transporters form part of the Botswana Oil transport network which started with around twenty citizen owned trucks operated by around seven companies during the 2021/ 22 financial year.
“This increase in the number of trucks has a multiplier effect in the creation of employment for the drivers, maintenance services, truck staging facilities and other activities related to the transportation of petroleum products,” said Moagi applauding Botswana Oil’s engagement with different stakeholders especially in the financial services sector to collaborate on facilitation of citizen empowerment initiatives in terms of business modelling and funding.
